The Effect of Suicide Loss on Clinicians and Organizations: Research and Response

Suicide rates continue to rise in the USA despite increased efforts at prevention and intervention. How to understand and respond to suicide loss survivors is an emerging field of research and clinical application to help mitigate some of the long-lasting effects of suicide on survivors. In this presentation I will review the demographics of suicide and how these inform our understanding of the population of suicide loss survivors and the fallout one suicide death has on individuals, families, communities, and organizations. The findings of an empirical study of psychotherapists who have had a patient in treatment die by suicide are presented. Finally, understanding and responding to individuals and organizations following the suicide of a patient are reviewed.